Monday 1 Dec 2025
Huge improvements planned across the West Coast Main Line this Christmas
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
Passengers travelling on the West Coast Main Line this Christmas are being urged to check before they travel ahead of a programme of major railway improvements.
Between 24 December and 15 January, thousands of workers from Network Rail and its supply chain will be upgrading sections of the line between London and Cumbria to improve future journeys on one of Britain’s busiest rail routes.
Among the hundreds of journey improving projects, the largest are:
- A £60m replacement of a 130-metre-long bridge over the M6 near Penrith
- A £26m upgrade to the extremely busy Hanslope Junction close to Milton Keynes
- A rolling £61m programme of signalling upgrades north of Carlisle
- A £6m project to replace signalling gantries at Preston station
Alongside the biggest schemes, there will also be a number of other improvements underway across the 309-mile length of the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and the Scottish border. These include renewals to overhead lines, station platforms, track, signalling systems, and bridges.
It comes as part of ongoing investment of £400m by Network Rail into both the northern and southern sections of the West Coast Main Line over the next four years.
While the work is going on, significant sections of the line will have to be closed over a 22-day period between Christmas Eve and 15 January.
Network Rail has been working closely with train operators to try and keep passengers on trains for as much of their journey as possible; for instance, the Settle to Carlisle line will be used as a diversionary route for long-distance services for the first time in a decade.
Where there are no alternative rail routes, replacement buses will be in place to get people to where they need to be.
Passengers should visit www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest travel information and check with train operating companies for more information on services.
Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail’s capital delivery director for the North West & Central region, said: “This critical work we are delivering over the festive period is a key part of our ongoing major investment plan for the West Coast Main Line, one of the UK's busiest rail routes.
"These projects will enhance the experience for passengers and freight, improve reliability and performance across the railway line, and ensure it remains fit for purpose for decades to come.
“We know that this work will cause some disruption for those travelling during the festive season so please plan your journeys as early as possible by visiting National Rail Enquiries.”
Find out more about our Christmas projects here:
These improvements are part of Network Rail’s long-term vision to ensure the West Coast Main Line stays fit for the future.
Notes to Editors
*Hanslope Junction travel information
Between 24 December and 5 January, there will be no trains between Milton Keynes and Northampton / Rugby, with rail replacement buses in operation.
**Preston station travel information
During the Preston station signalling upgrades between 1-5 January, West Coast Main Line trains will divert at Wigan to Carlisle and will not call at stations between Preston and Carlisle. Rail replacement buses will be in operation for services between Blackpool, Buckshaw Parkway Preston, Lancaster and Wigan.
***Kingmoor resignalling travel information
During the Kingmoor resignalling work north of Carlisle between 1-7 January, buses will replace trains between Carlisle and Dumfries/Lockerbie.
****Clifton bridge renewal travel information
Between 31 December and 15 January no trains will run between Oxenholme and Carlisle with bus replacement on this section of the route. Avanti West Coast will run a shuttle rail diversion on Settle-Carlisle line between Preston and Carlisle.
Note: End days of disruption indicate the start of normal services resuming.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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